Solvent‐Mediated Generation of Cobalt‐Cluster‐Stabilised Propargyl Cations and Radicals: Allyl Migration versus Peroxide Formation

The protonation of [Co(2)(CO)(6){9-[(allyldimethylsilyl)ethynyl]-9H-fluoren-9-ol}] (4), with HBF(4) in CH(2)Cl(2) led to migration of the allyl group from silicon to the cobalt-stabilised cationic site to furnish [Co(2)(CO)(6){9-allyl-9-[(dimethylfluorosilyl)ethynyl]-9H-fluorene}] (17). However, under the same conditions, [Co(2)(CO)(6){9-[(benzyldimethylsilyl)ethynyl]-9H-fluoren-9-ol}] (5) underwent desilylation and rearrangement of the resulting terminal alkyne-dicobalt complex to give [Co(3)(CO)(9)(9H-fluorenylmethylcarbynyl)] (24); moreover, dimerisation of the (benzyldimethylsilyl)ethynyl-9H-fluorenyl moiety led to the propargyl-allene 26. In contrast, protonation of 5 in THF yielded [{Co(2)(CO)(6){[(benzyldimethylsilyl)ethynyl-9H-fluorenyl])}(2)peroxide] (27) through a radical coupling process. Analogously, protonation of [Co(2)(CO)(6){9-[(vinyldimethylsilyl)ethynyl]-9H-fluoren-9-ol}] (6) yields the corresponding peroxide 28. X-ray crystallographic data are reported for, among others, complexes 17, 24, 26, 27 and 28.